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- I don't want to see Christmas today
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At least once every year, when the holidays get out of control and loom over me the way the bigger-than-life tree dwarfed the child in the mall, I have the same reaction: No. It’s all too much.
I finished my tea and walked back to my desk. I took the piece of paper, the list that overwhelmed me every time I looked at it, and slipped it into a drawer.
By the 25th of December, I’ll have things done. I always do.
But, just like the little boy, I’m not ready to see Christmas yet.
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Related Pieces
Piece Description
At least once every year, when the holidays get out of control and loom over me the way the bigger-than-life tree dwarfed the child in the mall, I have the same reaction: No. It’s all too much.
I finished my tea and walked back to my desk. I took the piece of paper, the list that overwhelmed me every time I looked at it, and slipped it into a drawer.
By the 25th of December, I’ll have things done. I always do.
But, just like the little boy, I’m not ready to see Christmas yet.
Broadcast History
KPBX 2008
Transcript
December 10, 2007
Enormity of holidays can be overwhelming
Cheryl-anne Millsap
The Spokesman-Review
While I worked, part of my mind was somewhere else.
I’d brought my Christmas list with me that morning and I was thinking about what I would spend, and when I would shop and when on earth I would get it all wrapped and put under the tree.
To clear my head, I went down to the coffee shop to get a cup of tea and walked through the mall on my way back to the office.
The mall was crowded, it always is this time of year, and on the main floor there was a line of families – mostly mothers – waiting to have the children’s photographs taken with Santa.
I sat down on a bench to watch them.
Near the end of the line, at the back of the tree, was a woman with a little boy. His blonde hair was slicked down and he was wearing a pair of plaid pants, a sweater vest and dress shirt with a red bow t...
Read the full transcript
Intro and Outro
INTRO: OUTRO:Cheryl-Anne Millsap writes for the Spokesman-Review newspaper in Spoknane, WA. She is the author of "Home Planet: A life in four seasons."
